Fatal Flaw (26 page)

Scotty’s eyes filled. “That’s really nice of you guys, but I just wonder…”

“What?”

“Why me?”

“Aww, buddy, we love you. But that’s not the only reason.” Nick propped his chin on his fist and studied the handsome boy. “Have I ever told you about when I was a kid?”

“You said you grew up in Massachusetts, but that’s it.”

“I was going to tell you about it tomorrow when I take you to Lowell to see the house where I lived, but I suppose I can tell you now.” Nick took a deep breath and made an effort to keep his emotions in check. Revisiting his childhood was something he did as infrequently as possible. “My parents were still in high school when they had me, so my father’s mother ended up raising me. She was a nice enough lady, but she’d already raised her family, so she wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having another child to take care of.”

“That must’ve been hard for you.”

Nick nodded in agreement. “I was about ten when I realized she didn’t want me around. I was kind of oblivious before that. So I asked if I could go live with my dad.”

“He seems really nice.”

“He is—now—but then he was in his twenties, enjoying the single life. He didn’t want to be weighed down with a kid. The one thing he did for me—and it was a big thing at the time—was send the money I needed to play hockey. That was my favorite thing to do, and he paid for it.”

“How about your mom?”

“She’s another story—I barely saw her when I was growing up.” Nick thought of her showing up uninvited at their wedding and how Sam had sent her away before she could ruin the day for him. Thinking of Sam sticking up for him like that made him miss her like he hadn’t seen her in a week rather than the few hours they’d been apart. “My mother never wanted me and didn’t do much to try and hide that. Everything changed for me when I got into Harvard on a scholarship and met John O’Connor. His father, Senator O’Connor, who you’ve met, was the first one to make me believe I could really make something of my life.”

Scotty hung on his every word.

“Are you surprised to hear this?”

“Sort of. I didn’t know you’d been through all that.”

“I wanted you to know I wasn’t born a senator. I had to work really hard—for a lot of years—and then my best friend died suddenly and tragically, creating an opening in the Senate that I was asked to fill. I’ve never run for office before, and who knows what’ll happen between now and November? I could end up just a regular guy again if the people of Virginia don’t like the job I’m doing.”

“That won’t happen,” Scotty said confidently. “You have a sixty-five point lead over the Republican dude.”

Astounded, Nick stared at him. “How do you know that?”

“I read the paper.”

Nick tossed his head back and laughed. “You are too much.”

“So you want to do for me what Senator O’Connor did for you. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Nick said softly, appreciating that Scotty got the connection. “I want that very much. I want you to be able to play Little League or hockey or whatever else appeals to you. I want you to have your own room and all the posters on your wall that you can fit. Hell, you can even put them on the ceiling if you want to.”

Scotty smiled at the reminder of their first meeting when Nick had been annoyed that the boy wasn’t allowed to hang posters on his wall in the state home. “I want you to know… I really appreciate that you and Sam want me to come live with you.”

A pang of fear struck Nick just below his heart. “Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there?”

“Would we still be friends if I don’t come live with you?”

“Of course we would. Don’t ever worry about that. You’re stuck with me.”

“Oh good. That’s good.”

“Talk to me,” Nick said even though he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what was on Scotty’s mind. “There’s nothing you can’t say to me.”

“It’s just, you know, I’ve gotten used to where I live now. I have a family there. I know it’s not a regular family, but the other kids and Mrs. Littlefield and all the people who work there are like my family, and they need me. I’ve been there a long time. I barely remember living with my mom and grandpa.”

Nick really hadn’t entertained the possibility that Scotty might say no to their offer, that he’d be reluctant to leave the only home he’d ever really known, which, in hindsight Nick should’ve considered. “I can understand that leaving there would be really scary, but Sam and I would do everything we could to make it as smooth as possible for you. And of course we would take you to Richmond to visit anytime you wanted.”

“It’s a really nice offer,” Scotty said softly.

Nick’s cell phone rang, but since he didn’t recognize the number in the 202 area code, he let the call go to voice mail. “Let’s make a deal, okay?” he said to Scotty.

The boy nodded.

“Think about it. You don’t have to decide anything right now, okay?”

“Okay,” Scotty said, looking relieved.

“I promise that no matter what you decide, Sam and I will always be your friends, and we’ll always be there for you.” He squeezed Scotty’s hand. “I promise.”

Scotty surprised Nick when he got up, came around the table and hugged him. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

Tears filled Nick’s eyes as he returned the embrace. “Back atcha, buddy.” He released the boy and looked up at him. “What do you say we get to our hotel? I hear there’s a pool.”

“Awesome!”

Nick’s phone rang again, and he saw the call was from the same number. Just in case it was Sam borrowing someone’s phone, he took it. “Nick Cappuano.”

“This is Darren Tabor.”

Nick was immediately sorry he’d taken the call. “Not now, Darren. I’m busy.”

“What’s wrong with Sam? No one will tell me.”

Nick sat up straight. They’d tried to call her as they left Fenway, but she hadn’t picked up. Since she was at work, he hadn’t thought anything of it. “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard? They took her out of HQ on a stretcher. I haven’t heard what was wrong with her, but a 911 call from your house just came over the scanner. What’s going on? Senator? Are you there?”

Nick hung up on Darren and tried Sam’s phone again. When he got her voice mail, he also tried Freddie, Tracy, Angela and Christina, but no one answered.

As his heart jackhammered in his chest, Nick pocketed his phone, tossed some bills on the table, grabbed Scotty’s hand and made for the door. “Sorry, buddy, but we’ve got to go home.”

While Jeannie had been disappointed to miss the trip to Cincinnati, the day with Michael had done them a lot of good. They’d talked and laughed and made love again before taking a long nap. While there was still an undercurrent of strain between them, she could feel them edging toward a new version of normal.

She was slowly realizing that her attacker had changed her life forever, and there would be no going back to the way things had been before. They could only go forward and define a new future as they went. It was a relief, however, to know they’d be going forward together. A lot of guys wouldn’t have stuck around after what happened to her. She was grateful that her guy was stronger than that. Turning onto her side in bed, she studied Michael’s face as he slept. The poor guy had worried himself sick over her in the last few weeks and was no doubt exhausted.

Jeannie eased out of bed so she wouldn’t disturb him and headed for the shower. Afterward, she pulled on yoga pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Grabbing the Fitzgerald case files, she went downstairs to find her cell phone. Will had texted a short time ago that he had just landed and was anxious to speak with her. Rather than reply by text, she called her partner.

“Hey,” he said when he answered.

“Where are you?”

“Just leaving Reagan on the Metro. Do you mind if I come by on the way home?”

“Sure, no problem. See you in a few.” Jeannie went to turn on the porch light for him. In the past, she might’ve propped open the door, but now she kept it locked.

While she waited for Will, she looked up the phone number for retired medical examiner Dr. Norman Morganthau and placed a call to him. He answered on the third ring.

“Dr. Morganthau, this is Detective Jeannie McBride with the MPD. I wondered if you might have a minute to answer a couple of questions about an old case?”

“You’re the one who was kidnapped.”

Jeannie closed her eyes. Would that word always be attached to her name now? “Yes, sir.”

“How are you doing, honey?” he asked, his voice softening.

His compassion brought tears to her eyes. “Good days. Bad days. But overall, I’m better. Thank you very much for asking.”

“The entire brotherhood—and sisterhood—stands behind one of its own in a time of need. I hope you’ve felt the support of your colleagues.”

“Very much so.”

“Glad to hear it. Now what can I do for you today?”

Jeannie explained about reopening the Tyler Fitzgerald case.

“Ahhh,” Morganthau said with a deep sigh. “That was a tough one.”

“So I’m hearing from everyone we’ve talked to.”

“How can I help?”

“I wondered if you might be able to share any impressions from that time. If you tell me what you remember, I might hear something I don’t already know.”

“That’s a wise strategy, young lady. You have good instincts.”

Jeannie smiled and wished she’d gone to see the old man in person rather than calling him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Let’s see,” he said. “I got the call that a body had been found in the landfill late on a Thursday night.”

“Did you have jurisdictional issues because he was found in Maryland?”

“Since the body was that of a child, and we’d been overseeing the search for Tyler Fitzgerald, Maryland State Police called us in as a courtesy. It was obvious to them that it was him based on the clothing and other distinguishing characteristics.”

“I have your autopsy report in the file, but if you could tell me in your own words—”

“You might hear something new.”

“That’s right,” Jeannie said, amused by him.

“Tyler had been manually strangled. Unfortunately, after a few days in the landfill we were unable to get usable prints off his neck. The only other trauma to the body was from exposure to the elements.” He paused and cleared his throat. “That one stayed with me. I have children of my own, grandchildren. It bothered me that we were never able to get the bastard who killed him. Pardon my language.”

“No pardon necessary. I happen to agree with you. Was there any talk of Tyler’s brothers as suspects?”

“Not that I ever heard. That doesn’t mean they weren’t considered. If they were, I wasn’t privy to the conversations.”

“Talk to me about Skip Holland.”

“What about him?”

“I’m interested in your impressions of him and his handling of the case.”

“He was a good cop. Thorough. We always worked well together.”

“Was that true during the Fitzgerald case too?” The long pause that followed her question set Jeannie’s nerves on edge. If she uncovered something untoward about Sam’s sainted father, how would she ever tell Sam that? “Dr. Morganthau?”

“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Skip Holland.”

“But?”

“He was going through a rough patch around the time of the Fitzgerald case.” Jeannie wanted to put her head down and moan. While part of her wanted to hear what he had to say, the part that considered Skip’s daughter a close friend wished she’d never made this call.

“Rough in what way?”

“This is just between us, right?”

“Are you aware that his daughter is now our lieutenant?”

“I am.”

“I’ll have to brief her at some point on what we’ve uncovered.”

The doctor released another rattling sigh. “I find myself between a rock and a hard place.”

“In what way?”

“Do I share things my friend told me in confidence if they could help to break an old case, or do I keep my mouth shut the way I have for years?”

“Doctor Morganthau, if you know something that could help us find Tyler’s killer—”

“I don’t know anything about who killed that boy. I never would’ve sat on information like that. What I do know is Skip was going through a tough time around then, and that’s all I’m going to say. You can leave it up to his daughter to decide whether or not she wishes to pursue it further with him.”

“Thank you very much for your time.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more.”

“I understand.” Jeannie put down the phone and leaned her head back against the sofa, processing what she’d learned. The ringing doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She got up to let Will in.

“Hey,” he said.

“Come in.”

He seemed a bit uncertain as he took a seat on the sofa. “Are you okay?”

Jeannie sat next to him and curled her legs up under her. “I’m good. I’m sorry I couldn’t go today.”

“That’s okay.”

“Were you nervous about interviewing Cameron on your own?”

“Hell, yes, I was nervous.” Will recapped the conversation with Cameron.

“Sounds like you covered all the bases. What’re your impressions?”

“I think he had something to do with it.”

“Now all we have to do is prove it.”

“I’d love to get him on a polygraph.”

“We can check tomorrow with the AUSA to see if we have enough to make that happen,” Jeannie said.

“What’ll we tell Sam?”

Jeannie brought him up to speed on what had happened to Sam earlier in the day as well as the conversation with Morganthau.

“We need to talk to her before we go to the U.S. Attorney.”

“Agreed. I’ll do that as soon as she feels up to working again.”

“This whole thing is freaking me out,” Will said. “We all know how close she is to her dad. What if he bungled this case and we have to be the ones to tell her?”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

The second their flight touched down at Reagan National Airport, Nick powered up his phone and tried to reach Sam again. Her voice mail picked up, which made Nick want to scream with frustration. With Scotty watching his every move, Nick was forced to keep himself in check so he wouldn’t scare the boy.

He called Christina next. “Senator,” she said, sounding breathless when she answered. “I’m so sorry I missed your earlier calls. I was giving Alex a bath, and then I fell asleep with him.”

“Have you heard anything about something happening to Sam at work today?”

“No, I haven’t. I talked to Tommy a couple of hours ago, but he didn’t mention it.”

“I hate to ask you this, but would you call him and see what you can find out? Her phone is going straight to voice mail.” Sam would be furious at him for using Christina and Gonzo to gain information about her, but he needed to know what the hell was going on.

“Sure, hold on. I’ll call him.”

While she clicked over to the other line, Nick glanced at Scotty who was watching him with big eyes.

“Is Sam okay?”

“I’m sure she’s fine. There must be a good reason why she hasn’t been answering her phone.” At least there had better be a good reason, or he was going to raise holy hell with her.

Christina clicked back on. “Ahhh, he said she told everyone not to call you because she didn’t want to ruin Scotty’s big day. Apparently, she got sick at work, but she’s okay. Gonzo said there’s something going on at your house. He didn’t have the details, but he’s on his way over there now.”

Nick thanked her for the info and ended the call, his mind racing with worries.

As the captain announced a delay in reaching their gate because the other flight hadn’t yet departed, Nick wondered if he was having a heart attack. His chest was tight, and he couldn’t seem to breathe.

“It’s okay,” Scotty said, patting his arm. “If something was really wrong, she would’ve called you.”

Nick blew out a deep breath. “You’re right. I know. I’m sure she didn’t want to mess with our day in Boston, but she knows I hate when she keeps stuff from me.”

“She did it for a good reason today.”

Forcing himself to relax since he had no choice, he eyed Scotty. “If you come to live with us, I’ll need you to be on my side during all disagreements. You were my friend first.”

Scotty laughed, which Nick had hoped he would. “I don’t play favorites.”

“Now you tell me,” Nick grumbled.

“I want you to know… It’s really cool that you and Sam like me so much you want to adopt me. I’m afraid I didn’t say it right before.”

“No, you did. We’re asking you to change your whole life, and it’s only natural that you’d want some time to think about it.”

“Will you tell Sam I really appreciate that you asked me?”

“I will, buddy.”

The plane lurched forward, delivering them to the gate. Since they were in the front of the plane, they were the first ones off. Two Capitol Police officers met them.

“Senator? I’m Officer Clarkson. This is Officer Griffin. We’re under orders to escort you home.”

Stunned, Nick stared at them. “Why?”

“We’ve received a credible threat against you and Lieutenant Holland. The two of you, along with your immediate families, have been placed under protection.”

“What kind of threat?”

Officer Clarkson glanced at Scotty and then at Nick. “I’d rather not get into the details right now. If you can please come with us, we’ll get you home.”

Nick glanced down to find Scotty giving him that wide-eyed look again. “It’s okay, buddy,” he said. “Whatever it is, I’m sure Sam is taking care of it.” At least he hoped that was true. Either way, she had some serious explaining to do.

Lindsey felt like a teenager waiting for her first boyfriend to come over. She’d changed her clothes three times so far, and still wasn’t entirely thrilled with the outfit she’d settled on. The scoop-neck top showed too much skin and the jeans she’d chosen were extra snug. She didn’t want him to think she was easy.

“Oh my God,” she said as she blew out half the candles she’d lit earlier, fearing she was giving him the wrong idea. “Will you stop it already?”

By the time the doorbell rang ten minutes later, she was on the verge of a complete meltdown. Was she really about to officially start a relationship with a recovering alcoholic after the way she’d grown up? Was she out of her freaking mind? Since it was too late to back out now, she gritted her teeth and opened the door, prepared to get rid of him as quickly as she could without being rude.

All thoughts of getting rid of him dissolved when she saw the dozen pale pink roses he’d brought for her. “Oh,” she said as the wind left her sails in one big exhale.

“I know,” he said with an adorably boyish grin. “Totally cliché, but I wanted to bring you something.”

“They’re beautiful,” she said, finally daring to make eye contact with him. Oh, boy… She led him into the kitchen where she found a vase for the flowers. Grateful to have something to do with her shaky hands, she trimmed the stems and arranged them. “Thank you. I love the color.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and traced a finger lightly over her cheek. “It reminded me of you. The exact shade of your skin when you blush.”

Lindsey swallowed hard as her heart beat frantically.

“Come here,” he said, his voice gruff.

“I’m here.”

“Closer.”

“I, um, Terry…”

“I won’t bite. At least not yet.”

Her eyes darted up to find his dancing with amusement. He held out a hand to her. Lindsey studied that hand for a long, charged moment, knowing if she put her hand in his the attraction zinging between them would become something more. Something significant.

“Trust me, Lindsey. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Everything in her was drawn to him. Like a magnet that couldn’t resist the pull, her hand landed in his, and she let him bring her into his embrace. He held her close, but not too close.

Her mind had gone blank, and her arms hung awkwardly by her side.

He ran his hands down her arms, urging her to put them around him. “There,” he said. “That’s better.”

Lindsey rested her face against his chest and closed her eyes to listen to the rapid beat of his heart. They stood there like that for a long time. Lindsey had no idea how long. All she knew was that it felt good to be held by him. It felt right.

When he started to pull back from her, she resisted, which made him laugh.

She looked up at him, and their eyes met in a heated moment of awareness that sent desire rippling through her.

His gaze shifted to her lips. “Is it okay if I—”

Lindsey slipped a hand around his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss that went from zero to ninety in about two seconds flat. In the single most explosive moment of her life, he took her mouth like a man who’d been starving and she was the only thing that could sate his hunger.